Barring the late-hour signing of an offensive lineman — which would be the only player at that position in the 2013 recruiting class — Boston College football coach Steve Addazio expects to gather letters-of-intent from 15 recruiting prospects Wednesday during national signing day.

Among them will be four defensive linemen, including three-star prospect Tevin Montgomery, a 6-foot-5-inch, 295-pounder from Marion, who was rated by Rivals.com as the third-best player in Massachusetts.

BC also landed three defensive backs, including three-star prospect Matt Milano, a 6-1, 200-pounder from Orlando; a pair of three-star wide receivers; two linebackers; and two quarterbacks, including Mackay Lowrie, a 6-4, 200-pounder from West Roxbury who passed for 2,450 yards and 35 touchdowns last season at Roxbury Latin and was rated by Rivals.com as the seventh-best player in the state.

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Addazio, a former Syracuse assistant under Paul Pasqualoni, went back to his roots to unearth a hidden gem Tuesday in Tyler Rouse, a 5-8, 205-pound running back from Baldwinsville, N.Y., whose size, strength, and production drew comparisons with Ray Rice, the former Rutgers standout who just wrapped up a victory in Super Bowl XLVII with the Baltimore Ravens.

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Rouse, who has 4.46-second speed in the 40, rushed for 6,841 yards during his career at C.W. Baker High. He was recognized as New York’s Gatorade Player of the Year after rushing for 2,977 yards and 45 TDs on 33 carries in guiding his 8-2 team to a Class AA Section III state championship.

And yet, Rouse, a lifelong Syracuse fan, drew only tepid interest from the Orange, who invited him to their football camp but rescinded the invitation a week before camp.

“They called and said they couldn’t get over my size and they probably couldn’t really keep recruiting me,’’ Rouse told Syracuse’s student newspaper, The Daily Orange. “So, therefore, I didn’t end up going to the camp because I felt that I was unwanted and there was no need to go.’’

With BC needing to replace the anchors of its offensive line, left tackle Emmett Cleary and right tackle John Wetzel, it seemed imperative for Addazio to sign some offensive linemen. This was a group that relied upon seven underclassmen (five sophomores and two redshirt freshmen) to provide depth last season.

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Not signing a single one would be a glaring deficiency, especially at a school that has billed itself as “O-Line U’’ for developing so many NFL-caliber offensive linemen.

BC lost out on a pair of local prospects when Everett’s John Montelus, a 6-4, 295-pounder ranked by Rivals.com as the best player in Massachusetts, committed to Notre Dame, and BC High’s Jack McDonald, a 6-5, 275-pounder who was ranked fourth in the state, committed to Virginia.

In addition, Xaverian defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr., ranked the second-best player in the state, eschewed the Eagles to commit to Michigan.